Down by the River
by hiroki06
Summary: War is never easy for military service members, but it's not walk in the park for their famlies either. A/U V-day fic SasuNaru, Gaara/Lee, Kiba/Neji


**Down By the River**

We took a little walk

**June 19, 2009**

The sweet scent of rose tobacco filled the air as coals burned hot and steady atop the hookah bowl. Three hoses extended from the body and connected into three separate mouths set in relaxed grimaces. The three matching expressions had good reason behind them. This was month 7 into their significant other's last 15 month deployment to Afghanistan.

'I swear if that asshole is over there trying to play hero I'm going to kill him.' Thought the moody blonde.

"Have you heard from Uchiha, Naruto?" asked the long haired man to his left.

"No, not in the past three weeks at least." Came the slow reply as a long stream of smoke left his mouth and nostrils.

"How did he sound the last time he called?"

"Distant, stressed, bastardly, and well, in his own Uchiha way, concerned and a little scared. How about Kiba, Neji? " The stress in Naruto's face mirrored that of his companions after he said the statement. Although he knew Sasuke and the others were attached to a Special Forces unit this go around he never liked hearing even the slightest amount of fear in his lover's voice. Fear in Sasuke's voice meant things were going bad; very bad.

"Kiba was the same last I spoke to him. He used to only get like that when his mom and sister came to visit us, but now…now it seems to be an ongoing occurrence." Neji took another deep drag from the hookah before he looked sullenly at Naruto and addressed him again. "Yūhi looks so much like him… and Hinata. It's hard to look at her some days. I know that I didn't know Kiba back then and that Hinata's death was nothing more than ill-fate, but still, I feel like he will never really be mine."

"Neji, Kiba loves you with all his heart and see's you as Yūhi's other parent, and don't you ever forget that that little girl loves you with all her heart also. You're her daddy remember?"

"Lee doesn't give me the 'Youthful Speech' whenever we talk. He hasn't since the last deployment. " Interrupted their normally silent friend.

Neji leaned back into his cushions and closed his eyes, slowly smoking and grateful for the interruption. Naruto on the other hand let out a deep sigh before he ran his hand through messy red locks reassuringly.

"Normally I would say that's a good thing for ya Gaara, but in these circumstances … Well, I'm just not sure anymore. The only time I feel I really know Sasuke anymore is in my dreams."

Naruto stared longingly into the burning embers of the fresh coal. Black with specks of red.

**September 11, 2009**

Naruto was sprawled across his living room floor with guitar in hand. An empty fifth of whiskey by his head and half crushed cans of beer at his feet. His hand moved expertly across the strings despite his utter intoxication. His singing abilities on the other hand were highly compromised as he slurred lyrics and made up his own as he went. Loud giggling could be heard from his older brother who was stretched across the couch with his brindle pit bull, Beaux, laid across his stomach. Naruto soon found himself laughing aloud at his own antics as well as his bothers. Only Beaux could make his normally homicidal brother peaceful as a napping pup.

With giggles still escaping his mouth he felt the tears escape his eyes silently. Memories of nights he would lay across Sasuke's body while they watched movies. Memories of him playing his guitar while Sasuke sang softly into his ear. Memories of dirty combat boots next to a matching pair. Tears soon blurred his vision, and his giggles turned to soft sobs. He just wanted to see it all again. The pale chiseled chest spread across his own tanned one, sharp teeth that would bite into his skin. Large calloused hands that would grip his hips and rock his body into Sasuke's own, and the desire, need, and love that shone through onyx eyes and burned his body as they stared into his own oceanic blues.

* * *

**November 16, 2009**

Naruto found himself at the beach more often than not lately. With his tailgate down, Naruto's legs dangled carelessly in mid air, making a clank against the tail gate every once in a while. He could feel the chilly autumn air nip at his skin as he took a swig of his coke. Gaara sat silently beside him with Yūhi on his lap. The damn long haired bastard sent Kiba a 'Dear John' letter along with divorce papers, dropped their daughter off with Gaara and split town.

"Uncle Gaara, when's daddy coming to take me home so we can wait for papa to get home?" Big pale blue eyes looked into conflicted jade ones as she pulled her blanket around her tighter.

"You're going to be staying with me and Uncle Naruto until your papa gets back baby girl. Your daddy had to go on an important business trip and is going to be gone for a while."

"Oh, okay! I hope he brings me back a present. Like a puppy. I wanna be just like papa when I grow up and work with dogs and wear a pretty uniform. Oh! Oh! Uncle Naru, did Uncle Teme tell you when papa's gonna be back? Cause I miss papa taking me to Girl Scouts and Judo. Are you gonna take me to Judo and Girl Scouts and tuck me in at night and read me a story?"

Naruto choked on his coke as the 6 year old referred to his husband as Uncle Teme before his emotions swirled from sad, to angry, to a fake happy for her sake. He gave the little girl a big smile and brought her into his arms.

"I sure am. Uncle Gaara and I are going to have you kicking butt and selling cookies to everyone in Savannah. You'll have more badges then your papa by the time he gets home. And I tell you what little missy; I'll let you go see Beaux as long as you're a good girl."

The young girl clapped her hands together excitedly as she did her victory dance, kudos to Lee and Naruto, while singing "Party in the U.S.A" in her big girl voice. Naruto let out a bark of laughter as Gaara smiled proudly at his 'niece'.

* * *

**February 14, 2010**

Sasuke, Lee, and Kiba strode quickly through the planes aisles and down the roll up stair case. Their ACU's still bared the musky scent of foreign lands and their boots still moved as if sand and dirt were their heavy walkways. The clank of weapons went upon deaf ears they pushed their way through reunited families in search of their own. A sign held above the head of a child that simply said "TEME" in bright orange maker was their target. The three rushed as fast as they could. Tears were already streaming down Lee and Kiba's faces. The first to reach them was Yūhi with two painted on upside triangles like her papa's tattoos. She grabbed onto her father ACU jacket as the two fell to the ground in tears of joy. Sasuke and Lee pushed past until their targets were met.

**Sergeant First Class Inuzuka, Kiba/ U.S. Army/ 31B Military Police [K9 UNITS]: Father of ****Yūhi Inuzuka. Handler of Master Sergeant Akamaru: Both SFC Inuzuka and MSGT Akamaru End Time in Service 14FEB10**

Lee quickly attached himself to Gaara in back breaking hug while kissing the taller man all over his face and neck. He was yelling about the youth that had been reconnected to them before Gaara grabbed his head and shut him up with their first real kiss in a year and a half.

**Gunnery Sergeant Sabaku, Gaara/ U.S.M.C/ 0317 Scout Sniper: Medically Retired for loss of sight in left eye, Husband of Staff Sergeant Rock-Sabaku, Lee/ U.S. Army/ 31B Military Police: End Time in service 14FEB10**

Naruto stepped quickly to Sasuke and grabbed him around the back of his neck. Their foreheads pressed tightly together as they each stared the other in the eye. Naruto felt his pulse quicken to inhuman speeds as the same fire, passion, and love poured into him. He barely recognized the tug to his messy blonde hair as Sasuke seized his lips with his own. After the initial shock wore off, Naruto took a deep inhale through his nose as he opened his mouth wide and let Sasuke's tongue plunge into his mouth. Both of Sasuke's hands moved to Naruto's rear end and lifted him up without breaking the kiss. Naruto wrapped his legs around the ACU clad hips tightly as his tongue wrapped around Sasuke's and sucked harshly. They parted with panting breaths and overwhelmed emotions. Naruto untangled his legs and pressed his body tightly into Sasuke's.

"You know this is the first fucking Valentine's Day we're celebrating in 10 years right." Sasuke growled out as rubbed his hips into Naruto's.

"I'm surprised you even give a damn about this holiday." Came the half whined reply.

"TEN YEARS, NARUTO! Ten fucking years I have been denied the right to un-mercifully fuck you into every surface possible. All in the name of some fat little naked angel baby that shoot's people with arrows to make them fall in love."

"Hahahah! Lord almighty Sasuke! Here I thought you fell in love with me because the first time we met I was passed out drunk and naked in front of the barracks with a bottle of lube in my hand."

An amused smirk lifted on Sasuke's lips as he recalled the night all those years ago.

"That might have had something to do with it. But I fell in love with you when you woke up in the back of my patrol vehicle and asked me to come back there and fuck you with the cuffs still on."

"Which you did…twice. God, I missed you bastard."

"I missed you too dobe. C'mon let's get going. I want to burry my cock deep inside you before this gay" Sasuke slapped Naruto's ass for emphasis "and I do mean gay ass holiday is over."

**Staff Sergeant Uzumaki-Uchiha Naruto/ U.S. Army/ 11B Infantry: Medically Retired for loss of right lower leg, Husband of Sergeant First Class Uchiha, Sasuke/ U.S. Army/ 31B Military Police: End Time in Service 14FEB10**

Happy Valentine's Day


End file.
